Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line while conducting low-altitude flight.
NTSB analysis
The pilot stated that he was conducting a scenic flight when he descended to about 100 feet above ground level to observe the landscape below. The airplane struck a power line, resulting in substantial damage to the windscreen, vertical stabilizer, and left wing strut. The pilot landed the airplane uneventfully at a nearby airport. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA12CA222 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 10, 2012
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Orleans, Vermont
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Minor injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna 172N
- N-number
- N738QF
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.